My best friend Liam gave me a mansion. But not long after I moved in, someone broke in with a knife in the dead of night. “Liam, you framed me, ruined my family, took everything from me! I’m gonna kill you!” I immediately realized I was being set up as a patsy. But before I could even speak, the attacker slit my throat in one quick motion. After police shot the deranged killer dead at the scene, Liam put his arm around my wife Scarlett and strolled over. He smirked, “Thanks for getting rid of that pain in my neck and leaving me your fortune. I’ll enjoy everything you left behind, including your wife. Rest in peace, pal.” Scarlett melted into his embrace, compliant. “Liam, I told you I’d help you take everything he had. I kept my promise. Now you owe me—marry me.” When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day my “brother” gave me that mansion. “Alex, we’ve built so much together over the years. To show my appreciation, I want to give you this mansion.” “You’re a big shot at a public company now, and you and Scarlett deserve a place that matches your status.” Hearing that familiar voice jolted me back to reality. Looking at Liam’s smiling face, I realized I’d been given a second chance. In my past life, just a few nights after accepting Liam’s “gift,” I ended up with my throat slit. Now I saw the truth. He’d purchased that mansion publicly with reporters watching to expose its location, then secretly transferred ownership to me. All to make me his fall guy. That way, he could have his enemy commit murder while seizing everything I owned. A perfect two-for-one deal. Seeing me hesitate, Scarlett chimed in. “Honey, Liam’s like family. It’s just a little something to show he cares. Don’t be so uptight.” A bitter laugh rose in my throat. She’d never so much as held my hand in public, but now she was practically clinging to Liam. If I hadn’t lived through this before, I might’ve bought that “brother-sister” act. But now I knew the truth—she and my “best friend” had been hooking up for years, and she was helping him set me up to die. This time, with all the facts, I wasn’t about to let them make me their fool again. The killer got out of prison in three days. As long as I didn’t move in before then, I’d be safe. “You keep it. If I want a place, I’ll buy my own.” Liam and I usually had that bro bond where gift-giving was normal, and I never said no. But this time, my answer threw them off. Liam’s smile dropped. “Alex, what’s with you…” Scarlett scowled, clearly irritated. “Alex, what’s your problem? Liam’s being nice—why are you being like this? You wanna hurt his feelings or something?” I let out a dry laugh, nodding at how close they were standing. “He’ll survive. You’re already keeping him plenty warm, aren’t you?” That set Scarlett off. “Alex, what the hell are you insinuating?!” “I only see Liam as a brother! We’ve been married for years—don’t you trust me at all?!” I stayed quiet, and Scarlett got even more worked up. But Liam stepped in first. “Calm down, Scarlett. Alex is probably just jealous—that’s why he won’t take the gift. Maybe we should keep our distance so Alex doesn’t get the wrong idea.” His words said one thing, but his body stayed put. In fact, he inched even closer to Scarlett. Then he turned to me with a smile. “Don’t worry, I only see Scarlett as a sister. There’s nothing going on between us. If the mansion’s not your style, I’ll hook you up with something else later.” I forced a small smile. “Sure. Just make sure it’s not another ‘surprise’ like last time.” “Of course not.” Liam looked uncomfortable, while Scarlett shot me a dirty look, muttering about how I’d gotten too big for my britches since the company went public and forgotten who my real friends were. But I didn’t care. As I headed for the door, I said, “Believe what you want. I’ve got work to do. Later.” Behind me, Scarlett kept bitching about my attitude. But at that point, I couldn’t have cared less. I really did have bigger fish to fry. Before I died, I recognized the guy. It was David, our former CFO, who Liam had framed for embezzlement and sent to prison. But now, there seemed to be more to the story than that. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone after Liam the second he got out. I needed to dig into that old case. I wasn’t about to let the bastards who killed me get away with it.
But the case was cold, and I had no leads. That evening, I got a text from Scarlett. “Working late tonight. Won’t be home till late.” If she’d actually come home, she would’ve known I wasn’t there. Chances were she was with Liam—otherwise she’d know I’d been at the office all day. A minute later, I heard the elevator ding. I quickly shut off my office lights. It had to be Scarlett and Liam. I wanted to see what those two were doing at the office so late. Their voices filtered through the door. “Babe, I had my guy check. David gets out in three days, and the story about me moving into the mansion is already blowing up online. When he gets out, he’ll definitely go there for payback. He’ll be so blinded by rage, he’ll mistake Alex for me.” “Then the cops will take David down for murder, and I’ll never have to worry about him again. And we won’t have to hide from Alex anymore.” “Too bad Alex isn’t taking the bait—he won’t accept the gift.” “Liam, don’t stress. I’ll fix it.” “Good. He was totally jealous today. You not coming home tonight—he didn’t suspect a thing, right?” Scarlett laughed. “Suspect? That man’s been my doormat for years. If my parents hadn’t forced me to marry him, I wouldn’t give him the time of day. I could cheat on him with the entire football team and he’d still beg me to stay.” “Perfect. Can you imagine his face if he knew his best friend and wife have been hooking up for three years? Fucking priceless.” “Babe, the office is empty tonight. Hotels are too risky—how about we… here?” Scarlett giggled. “You’re such a pervert…” Then came the sound of heavy breathing. That bitch! All those years I’d loved her—wasted! Scarlett and I met in high school. I first saw her getting jumped by some thugs. I fought them off, took a beating, and saved her. After that, I always had her back. I even turned down better colleges to go to the same one as her. Once we were together, I catered to her every need. When her parents got sick, I scraped together money and handled everything. She was scared of having kids, so I never pressured her. But I never thought she’d always seen me as beneath her—and was helping someone murder me. A few minutes later, they went into the next office. I was burning with rage, but now wasn’t the time to expose them. I needed evidence to take Liam down for good. I snuck out of the office. One thing bugged me: even if you’re framed, would you really kill someone right after getting out? What did Liam do to David?
On the way home, I remembered someone important. I made a call, gave instructions, then headed home. I hadn’t been asleep long when I heard the front door open. When I walked out of the bedroom, Scarlett jumped. I noticed hickeys all over her neck. Scarlett noticed and quickly covered her neck, looking guilty. “Honey, you’re still up?” I kept my voice flat. “Yeah, just got back from the office.” My words made her smile freeze, then she forced it back. “Oh! I went to the office looking for you! Didn’t know you’d come home early. What a waste of a trip. You owe me.” She looped her arm through mine and pouted. Back then, her little games always worked. I’d pull her close right away. But now? Nothing. I gently pushed her off. “Honey, what’s wrong?” “I stuck up for Liam earlier—are you still mad about that?” “I just thought you two shouldn’t be so formal after all these years. You always used to accept each other’s gifts, but you hesitated this time. It’ll make him think something’s wrong.” “You wouldn’t be where you are without your friends. If you fall out with them, where does that leave you? I’m looking out for you. Just take the mansion.” A bitter laugh rose in my throat. *Looking out for me while trying to kill me.* I kept a straight face. “If they’re so great, go be with them.” That set Scarlett off. “Alex, what the hell are you talking about?! I’m your wife! How could you say that?!” “My parents were wrong about you. They never should’ve let me marry such a petty man!” I scoffed. “Guess I am petty—otherwise I never would’ve married you!” Scarlett lost it. She grabbed a glass and threw it at me. It hit my forehead, drawing blood. She pointed at me, screaming, “Alex, are you serious?! If you want this marriage to work, take the mansion! I’ve been with you for years! You don’t want to live there, but I do!” “And I even planned a company banquet in your honor to boost your reputation! You’re such a disappointment!” I was about to fire back when Mark, our CFO, called. “Mr. Alex, Scarlett said there’s a celebration banquet this afternoon. You’re not at the office, so hurry! Everyone’s waiting.” I didn’t know what Scarlett was planning, but with the company newly public, I couldn’t let employees get demoralized. So I agreed. When I agreed, Scarlett finally looked satisfied. She left, warning me not to let her down and to make sure I showed up. That afternoon, I arrived at the address Scarlett sent. I noticed it was less than a hundred yards from that mansion.
Walking into the hotel, I saw employees had already arrived. Scarlett and Liam looked at me, sharing a weird smile. I ignored them, sat down calmly, and turned on my phone’s voice recorder. Maybe I could get Liam to slip up when he was drunk. When the time came, most top performers still weren’t there—but some uninvited guests showed up instead. “Tyler, Jake—what are you guys doing here?” Those two had slacked off all last year, breaking company rules and harassing female employees. They were basically thugs. If Liam hadn’t kept protecting them, I would’ve fired them months ago. I barely finished speaking when Liam cut in smoothly. “They were just passing by.Since they’re here, let them stay.” Then he told them, “You two, stay sharp. Keep Mr. Alex’s glass full.” They nodded quickly. Once the banquet started, everyone there began toasting me. Soon I started feeling dizzy. I tried to stop drinking, but Liam suddenly held me down, telling Tyler and Jake to force my mouth open. “Before we came, Mr. Alex said he’s in a great mood today—no holding back! Anyone else want to toast? Hurry up! Don’t keep Mr. Alex waiting!” The others hesitated when they saw this. Then Mark, the CFO, poured a glass of wine straight down my throat. “Mr. Alex, here’s to you!” The alcohol made me dizzy. I was pinned down, unable to speak. Liam shouted: “See? Mr. Alex doesn’t mind! Everyone have another toast. Anyone who doesn’t is dissing Mr. Alex!” Scarlett chimed in: “My husband’s in a good mood—you all better drink up! Anyone who doesn’t gets fired tomorrow!” No one dared hesitate after that. They kept pouring wine down my throat. Liam leaned in and whispered: “I offered you the mansion, but you said no. Had to do this the hard way, huh? Pathetic.” I was furious. That bastard was playing dirty! But I was too drunk to fight back. Liam, seeing his plan work, pulled Scarlett into a kiss right in front of everyone! And everyone acted like they didn’t see a thing. When the banquet ended, Liam sent everyone home. That’s when Ryan—Liam’s right-hand man—finally showed up and whispered something to him. Liam grinned. He told Ryan to take me to the mansion. After tying me up, Liam smirked at me. I stared daggers at him, then spat in his face. “Liam, what the hell do you want?!” “I treated you like family, made you Vice President! How could you do this?!” I barely finished when Liam kicked me. “Shut the hell up!” “But since we’re doing this, you might as well die knowing the truth. Why do you think I bought that mansion at the press conference? So everyone would think I lived there. Remember David? He gets out tonight, and he’s coming here to kill me. And you’re gonna take the fall.” “I already sent my guys to the prison. They even gave David the exact address. Just sit tight.” I ground my teeth. “You framed him for embezzlement! And you’re proud of it?!” Liam smirked. “So you figured that out? But don’t you wanna know why I’m so sure he’ll come for revenge?” I muttered, “If it was just the frame job, he wouldn’t murder someone. Unless…” Liam laughed. “Exactly! I had his wife killed for kicks, and his kid? Sold to traffickers.” “Every time I visited him in prison, I told him how I messed with his wife and how his son got chopped up by those traffickers. I wanted to push him over the edge—use him one last time to take everything from you.” My blood ran cold. I stared at him. “Does Scarlett know about this?” Liam grinned. “Do you really think she’d help tie you up if she knew I’d killed someone’s wife?” “Oh, and you didn’t happen to have a recorder on, did you?” Liam patted me down, found my phone, checked it, and scoffed. “Thought so.” He smashed my phone against the floor and stomped on it. “Alex, you’ve always been such a chump. Never saw it coming, did you? Everything you built—just gonna be my payout. I’ll swing by tomorrow morning to clean up your body. Ha ha ha.” After his maniacal laughter, Liam hit me with a stick, knocking me out cold. Then he laid me flat, making it look like I was asleep. Before leaving, he told someone not to lock the mansion door. Only after making sure David could get in easily did he leave, looking satisfied. I don’t know how much time passed before someone shook me awake. I looked at the person and smiled faintly. “Did you record everything he just said?”
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